Equestrian Sports require a great deal of training for both horse and rider.
We are well aware that we get stressed by the ups and downs - but what about your horse?  What do you do to keep the training sessions as stress free as possible.
There are three simple things that I do which make our sessions a great deal more pleasant and productive for both of us.
  First and foremost - talk to your horse, tell him when he is doing well and let him know by the tone of your voice how pleased you are.
  I keep up a constant stream of conversation, talking my way through the session, which is both calming and relaxing for both us.
Make sure you give yourselves some breaks, training sessions are demanding both mentally and physically and you need to take a breather.
  Give your horse lots of encouragement during the break, especially if he has done something well.
  In an ideal world you should try to take breaks so that they fall just after a particularly successful moment.
Last but not least, at the end of a session.
let yourselves unwind.
  Let your horse walk round and stretch on a long rein for a while so that he relaxes slowly and lets go of the mental effort as well as the physical.
  None of these take any time at all and will ensure that you and the horse both end the session feeling you have achieved something and you feel better for it.